Former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat is seeking a seat on the International Olympic Committee, SportsNewsArena reports.

Tergat tried to win a seat on the committee in 2008 as one of four athlete representatives, but wasn't selected. Now retired from elite competition, Tergat looks to have a much better chance this time. He has the endorsement of Kenya's national Olympic committee, and his countryman Kip Keino, who was an IOC member when Tergat previously sought a seat, has stepped down from the IOC.

Tergat was the first to break 2:05 for the marathon. His time of 2:04:55 at the 2003 Berlin Marathon was the world record until Haile Gebrselassie ran 2:04:26 at Berlin in 2007. Tergat twice won the Olympic silver medal at 10,000 meters behind Gebrselassie, and he won the world cross country championship five times.

Outside of running, Tergat has been an ambassador for the United Nations World Food Program for the most of the last decade.